An anomaly
by Spektor vox
Summary: Booker DeWitt had been living a very peaceful and 'normal' life in France for the past 50 years-the key word being HAD. now a visit from two old 'friends' will change the detectives life forever...again and may just provide him with the change of pace he needs.
1. Chapter 1

Rosalind Lutece groaned as her cell phone rang...again.

Usually she had no claims about reading anything her 'brother' sent her considering _he was her_,

However recently she's grown bored of his more abstract attempts to save Colombia and by extension rapture, the man didn't understand when to quick and certainly didn't take the one-thousand-eight hundredth time as a signal, instead he sat in a dark alleyway, pretended not to cry about it for a while and then tried again

In recent times Rosalind had found herself enjoying the small cafe two cities away from what they had designated their home after years of on and off attempts of fixing certain problems in the multiverse that Robert could not just .OF

"Madame, aren't you going to answer that?" a server asked as the other customers started to give her annoyed and infuriated glances

Rosalind narrowed her eyes at the young man before sighing, she liked him. Honestly but his nervous demeanour was something she found she could not put up with forever.

"What Robert?" Rosalind asked with a very dry tone as she answered the call

"I think I've found something big" Robert's very excited voice came

"Again?" Rosalind asked as she recalled the several rapture predicaments

"Yes!" Robert exclaimed "you must get over here immediately"

Rosalind sighed before tipping her waiter generously

"I'll be there AFTER I've finished my cappuccino," Rosalind stated as she hung up.

She had hoped her brother would be patient enough to wait that long but a few seconds later a man who was both her and not her ran up the street

"no, now!" he said in a whiney voice as he started to drag her from her seat

"good god Robert!" Rosalind snapped angrily as he pulled her through space time.

There was a brief struggle where the twins were caught in between their basement (where they had set up an elaborate laboratory) and the cafe but Robert had the upper hand as he had a naturally larger muscle to fat ratio than she did and was able to drag his sister home.

"Alright, what?!" Rosalind snapped taking off her hat.

God knows if she'd ever be welcomed at that specific cafe in that specific timeline ever again

"This!" Robert said running up to their tear generator and flipping the switch so it opened a tear

It was a formality, honestly considering that they could just zap form one place to another but it was an important one considering they could see where they were going if they opened a portal rather than just 'teleported'

Rosalind stepped through and looked around

"What?" she asked looking around, this was Colombia.

The old buildings, the clean streets the...the statue of rapture's resident puppeteer and overall psycho-who wanted to kill them for real and harness their power of rifts-Sophia lamb?

"Ok Robert, you found a very different timeline, can I go back to the cafe now?" Rosalind asked wanting no part in anything that was going on here-which she knew was going to be dangerous considering that Sofia was involved.

"Woman, look around you" Robert begged

"I have and I do not like what I see" Rosalind stated

"no you haven't" Robert countered "look, listen and smell"

Rosalind stood there for a second concentrating on her surroundings before frowning

"There's nothing" she stated looking back at her brother "there's..."

She then looked frantically around for someone, anyone.

"There's nobody here" Robert stated "nobody but a young boy in a tower, a bird and a siphon which doesn't do its job correctly"

"Nobody?" Rosalind questioned

"Nobody" Robert smiled "from what I've figured out this world is what happens after Comstock wins, but Sofia lamb is involved somehow which produces this"

Rosalind narrowed her eyes and looked around

"The boy, who is he?" she asked

"now you're asking questions" Robert said excitedly before holding out an arm for her to take, "let's go find out, shall we dear sister?"

"I think we should, dear brother" Rosalind smiled as the rift closed behind them.

* * *

**i've never done a bioshock fanfic before**

**i've never really written a clean non yaoi or just gay fanfic before**

**i've never written a story like this before **

**let's see if i can change that.**

**reveiw and i'll be a happy panda.**


	2. Chapter 2

"So this is it?" Rosalind questioned staring at the front door to the tower "just like this?"

"if your worrying about the bird, it's only focus is the boy" Robert stated, it flew straight over me and into the tower not too long ago and left without giving me so much as a look"

"That doesn't mean anything, what if it's trained to guard the perimeter"

"Then we make like booker Dewitt and run" Robert stated quite positively before stepping into th tower, Rosalind followed and soon they were making their way to a golden elevator.

"Are you sure that thing doesn't care for us?" Rosalind asked as the elevator doors shut "it would be troublesome if it ripped apart the tower and killed the boy before I even got the chance to meet him"

The elevator doors opened

"of course I'm sure, I ran extensive tests" Robert aid firmly

"Running in and out of the tower in its presence is not extensive testing" Rosalind stated as a scenario came to mind

Robert's face flushed

"It is" he mumbled

"Is not" Rosalind argued "what if we get close to the boy and it tears us apart?"

"Then we'll shift" Robert stated quite confidently

Rosalind roller her eyes before proceeding to a one way mirror which looked into a farmilliar library, there was a boy with dark hair setting up a table with cakes

"What if he's her male counterpart?" Robert asked referring to Elizabeth "he certainly does look like her"

"But his eyes are amber" Rosalind pointed out before looking at the door at the end of the corridor which would allow them into the room

"Suddenly I don't feel as if this is a good idea" Robert stated "we should look at the details before we intervene"

"Nonsense, this was your idea" Rosalind reminded him before walking over to the door and using her 'spare key' to open it.

"mother?" a soft and slightly fearful voice came "if-is that you? Our early and I-I haven't even prepared tea yet, the song bird has been bringing me things but I won't be able to entertain...you"

The boy froze as his eyes fell on Rosalind

"Hello there" she smiled walking into the room slowly, the last thing she wanted to do was alarm him

"Who are you?"

It was a startling question considering that Elizabeth had always known Rosalind AND Robert

"I am Rosalind Lutece"

The boy stared with the same confusion

"A-are you real?"

A phrase that never got old

"That is debatable" Rosalind smiled "who are you?" she asked coming over and going to take a seat on a chair she didn't remember

"d-don't sit there!" the boy exclaimed before she could finish the transaction "m-mother doesn't like people sitting in her seat"

"Mother?" Rosalind questioned

"Sofia Comstock" the boy stated before looking nervously back at his table and going over to continue setting it up "she's my mother"

That wasn't right at all

"Rosalind, you were right, we shouldn't be here" Robert said looking into the room nervously

The boy backed away from the pair

"I think you should go" the boy stated looking from the door to the ceiling where the songbird usually landed

"would you at least tell me your name?" Rosalind requested

"Aiden...no Erin?...R-Raphael or just Hayle" he stated "my name is Hayle" the boy stated finally, he seemed sure about the last name

"Hayle Comstock" Rosalind smiled holding out her hand

"No, I'm not a Comstock" the boy corrected "I...they adopted me and put me here so I wouldn't cause trouble. I can't cause any trouble," he stated before staring intently at the shiny silverware he was setting out "I don't have a real surname"

"We should go" Robert said angrily taking the key out of the door "I already said you were right and I'm getting a bad feeling about intervening

Rosalind looked from her brother to the boy

"do you want to be a normal boy?" Rosalind asked softly

The boy then stopped before looking up at her, something flashed in his eyes but it died quickly

"That's impossible" he stated "normal boys aren't criminals but they are evil"

"they don't have to be" Rosalind said putting out her hand "we could take you somewhere far away where you never have to worry about Sofia again" she goaded "you could have a real family"

The boy started at the hand before reaching out

"You would take me?" he questioned in a quiet voice "...please?" he whispered as they hands touched

He wanted for this to be real, Rosalind could see it in his eyes.

"Rosalind!" Robert said angrily which startled the boy into hiding behind the scientist

"What could possibly go wrong?" Rosalind smiled "besides this coukld settle our little problem"

"Our problem?" Robert questioned

"Our booker problem, give him a child and it may just work" Rosalind stated

"It won't" Robert said sceptically "this isn't fixing the problem it's giving up"

"But it might just work!" Rosalind repeated more forcefully before the twins fell silent and contemplated it both together and individually without exchanging a single word

"But it might" they both stated at the same time-Robert sighing it out while Rosalind said it positively- before looking down at the child

"Hayle Dewitt" Rosalind smiled "I like it".

* * *

**the first three chapters are going to be more of a prologue but they will contain vital information so...yea.**


	3. Chapter 3

Booker DeWitt groaned, as there was a knocking on his front door.

He didn't want to open it because he had no idea who it could be, everyone had stopped visiting him after he made it perfectly clear that he wanted to rot to death here after failing to bring back his daughter. .

He'd gotten so close as well...

But that bastard would rather see her dead than with him.

Colombia fell more than 40 years ago (in his original timeline) but visions of its pristine streets and disturbing ghetto's haunted him.

Sure he went to work for long hours but he knew very well he was trying to wear himself out, it was that or alcohol and he'd matured enough over the past 50 (give or take) years to realise that that was never a good answer to your problems.

The detective groaned again and rolled out of his bed after realizing that the person at the door was _NOT _going away.

"I'm coming!" he exclaimed angrily walking out of his living room, the person kept knocking and booker sighed "J'arrive, il suffit de tenir une seconde!" the detective exclaimed as he remembered that he had moved to Paris

New York was another reminder of his failure but Paris, Paris was kind.

Paris had become somewhat of a symbol of hope for the misplaced detective-misplaced as a very upset Robert had explained to him that he had gained a forum of immortality while being too close to the siphon and Elizabeth as they were both simultaneously...destroyed and murdered -Paris did not judge him and the government turned a blind eye to his absurdly prolonged life, not wanting to get involved with whatever kept him alive this long.

"what?" booker snapped angrily pulling open his front door before frowning at two very familiar faces "you two?" he questioned staring at the Lutece twins

"we need a favour" Rosalind said without missing a beat.

"no" booker said firmly before going to shut his front door but the red head put her foot in between the door and frame

"it wasn't really a question"

"why can't you let me live my life in peace?" booker asked "first you-" he paused before realising that Robert was staring him up and down with slight disgust, the Rex-pinkerton then looked down and flushed as he realised he was not wearing any trousers

"May we come inside?" Rosalind asked

"Sure" booker stated turning and walking in "don't you two usually just zap in"

"The devices restrict him" Rosalind said almost sadly

Booker sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, he had given up on trying to figure out EVERYTHING Robert and Rosalind said

"look, I'm done with you two, this version of the world ain't so bad-well it stopped being hell after WW1 and 2-and I can safely say that I'm well adjust—"

SMASH.

Booker froze before looking back at a kid with dark hair standing like a deer in the headlights next to his broken vase.

"What is that?" booker asked pointing at the kid with narrow eyes

"Your ward" Rosalind stated "he needs a place to stay, a family"

"You can't just drop things off on me" booker protested "take the kid somewhere else, to some other booker who gives a shit"

"He's angry" Rosalind stated

"Just like we predicted" Robert mirrored

"I'm sorry" a very weak but shaky voice came

"Look kid, it's fine. I can get a new one or something" booker said to the child before glaring at the twins

"We found him in a tower" Rosalind said

"He didn't have a booker DeWitt to save him" Robert said in a voice that screamed: just show some sympathy motherfucker.

"He needs a place to stay" Rosalind continued

"And it's going to be here whether you like it or not" Robert said before taking off a side bag and dropping it onto the floor

"toodle-oo" the twins both said at the same time before disappearing.

Booker looked at the kid before staring at the empty spot where Robert and Rosalind were once stood.

"my name is H-Hayle d-DeWitt" the small boy shouted awkwardly into the silence,.

Booker started at him in confusion and he writhed uncomfortably under the mans icy gaze

"w-well I've never had a proper surname before but they told me to call myself Hayle DeWitt so...sorry"

Booker then sighed before heading back into his bedroom and locking himself in

_'Maybe if I go to sleep he'll be gone by the time I wake up.._.' the man hoped as he buried himself under his blankets.

* * *

**there, now that that's over with let's see if i can continue this so that it contains major plot twists and happy moments.**

**:D**

**the first three chapters were going to be one big chapter but i thought, to hell with it!**

**reveiws make me a happy panda**


	4. Chapter 4

**Argh, I forgot to mention that my writing style is REALLY off and I do tend to write things one sentence at a time and use a lot of elipses for emphasis, I'm trying to normalise my writing style but it's harder than I thought it would be. (fan fiction is the only website that has ever goaded me into writing an actually articulate story)**

**Thanks for your criticism's though **

**Also for those of you who don't know rosewood is a shade of red**

* * *

Someone was crying, it was soft, stifled but also very sorrowful and quite pitiful; a certain American frowned and rolled over to glare at his bedroom door as he remembered what exactly had taken place not too long ago.

Booker DeWitt had always disliked children; they were not as docile as babies were and not as self-sufficient as teenagers. They ran around making noise and leaving mess wherever they went and also found themselves at an age where they were old enough not to feel shame in crying and also young enough to do so.

The brunette groaned and once again rolled out of bed to go and address this problem,_ 'it isn't the kids fault those weirdos had dragged him out of his own timeline, he doesn't deserve to be dumped here' _Booker told himself as he slowly opened his bedroom door and walked back into his living room

The ex-Pinkerton stopped in the doorway and started contemplating how to handle this _'kid's love sweets'_ he thought hopefully_ 'but you don't have any' _he reminded himself as he slowly started to approach Hayle.

"hey kid" Booker said softly stopping only a meter behind him, Hayle looked back with red and surprised amber eyes "look there's no reason to cry" Booker stated awkwardly although Hayle just looked down at something before looking back up at Booker

"I'm sorry," the child said holding that object up with bloody and cut up hands, the vase. He was crying because he had been re-assembling the vase. Booker took a closer look at the scene and grimaced, Hayle had taken the liberty of using superglue to carefully restore the vase back to its original state, he hadn't done a bad job but the injuries on his hands were excessive.

"You didn't have to" Booker said completely ignoring the vase and staring at the horrible cuts "l-look, kid—"

"Hayle" the boy interjected before starting to sniff

"Hayle" Booker corrected himself "I said I would buy a new vase, why'd you have to try and fix this one?" he asked with more than just slight irritation

"Because I broke it" the boy said simply "and I'm sorry"

That only fuelled the adult's irritation _'why doesn't he understand that it's ok?' _Booker thought angrily "look Hayle, I'll forgive you if you go sit over there" Booker stated pointing o his couch

The boy nodded before standing up and walking over to the couch leaving Booker to cleaning up the mess on the floor.

There was superglue _EVERYWHERE_ and not a bandage or any plasters in sight for his hands._ 'damn' _Booker thought as he opened drawers almost desperately searching for the first aid kit. The search continued until his eyes fell upon that Rosewood bag that Robert had dropped before rudely disappearing with his 'sister'

"What's in that?" Booker asked the kid as he pointed to it, Hayle shrugged before focusing his eyes at the closed curtains. The American moved up to the bag carefully hoping that it didn't contain anything dangerous or chaotic, he'd spent the last 30 years of his life out of dangers way and he hoped for things to stay that way.

"I don't think there's anything bad in it" Hayle commented as Booker slowly picked up the bag, "Mr. Lutece was swinging it around before miss. Lutece said: don't swing that around brother you're going to hit someone with it!"

Booker narrowed his eyes at the boy's very annoying impression before proceeding to open the bag. It was dark and looked empty however Booker knew better, he had heard the THUD as Robert dropped it to the ground so there must be some secret compartment o something, the American thrust his arm in and started moving it around looking for the heavy object that had created the THUD but instead his hand fell deeper and deeper into the bag until his entire arm was engulfed

"Wow" Hayle breathed staring at Booker with awe "are you magic?"

"yes," Booker said taking his arm out of the bag and examining the first aid kit he had fished out "I'm magic", any normal person would have probed the bag further but Booker had learned long ago to _'take what you need and not what you want'_

"I wanted to be magic once" Hayle stated "but mother said magic isn't real and if it were it would be the devils work"

Booker almost laughed at this before realising that the kid was serious, he'd forgotten that a lot of people still held strong religious beliefs considering that he never took the time to talk to anyone but clients and briefly co-workers.

"Well, who's' the say that the devil isn't good?...or at least nonaligned" Booker asked the kid offhandedly as he started to clean the boy's wounds

"Mother said the devil is the creator of hell and all sins and he hurts people and kills people and is a deceiver," Hayle said firmly

"But what do you think?" Booker questioned, "You're your own person who can make your own decisions but I advise you to make them after extensive research, god isn't exactly perfect kid. If he were then maybe things would be different" he found his tone involuntarily changing as he finished his sentence

"I can make my own decisions?" Hayle said to himself simply "how do I make my own decisions which are right?"

"you can't" Booker stated simply "right and wrong are decided differently from person to person but when do something you think is horrible and it makes you feel bad inside that's usually wrong, and when you do something that makes you feel good inside, that's usually right"

"So when a lion kills a rabbit it's ok?" Hayle asked slowly while wincing as Booker started to cover his hands in plasters "because eating the rabbit makes the lion feels ok but father said that murder is wrong"

"it's only ok because the lion needs to eat the tiger to survive, he didn't kill the rabbit to see it suffer, we're all just animals in the end Hayle" Booker quipped "we do things to survive but we would never-well most of us would never- kill to see something or someone hurt"

Hayle nodded and examined his hand

"So does that mean wanting to go outside is right?" Hayle asked staring once again longingly at the window "mother said the outside is bad and you shouldn't surround yourself with bad things or you'll become a bad person"

"sure. You're what? Five?" Booker questioned

"Six" Hayle corrected, "I am now six years old and one month" he sounded proud the way he said it but it struck booker as odd, usually kids his age didn't have a firm grasp of the English language but he hadn't so much as frowned when booker had said the word nonaligned

"ok Hayle" Booker said trying to suppress a smile as the child's smile just seemed to get brighter and brighter "I'm gonna let you live here for as long as you like but no more doing something stupid like this" the American gestured to the kid's hands "when I say it's ok that something's broken, it means it's ok"

Hayle nodded before standing up and cautiously making his way over to the window before peaking through the curtains

"I can make my own decisions," he said softly staring out.

* * *

**...oOo...**

"Well that was cute" Rosalind commented staring through the small rift she had opened to spy on the two her and her brother had forced together

"it probably was" Robert stated "but I would rather you helped me, the songbird seems to be returning and who knows what it will do when it realises that the boy is not there"

"What it always does, it will tear the building apart" Rosalind stated

"Actually, I think you need to see this" Robert said beckoning his sister over to a bigger rift they had open in the lab "that thing on its body"

"That's not what I think it is" Rosalind said incredulously "is it?"

"I hope not" Robert said "either way it means we are going to have to stop opening a rift here or it will make the birds job much easier"

"Much" Rosalind nodded before going over to the control panel and turning off the rift generator. The cut in space seemed to wobble before entirely collapsing "I don't like it" Rosalind stated "leaving his original timeline as only a mystery"

"I don't think I mind it" Robert stated, "I'd rather we weren't tasked with the impossible mission of orchestrating a happy ending for this child as well"

Rosalind let her gaze linger on her brother before she made her way to the basement stairs "nobody tasked you with anything" she said simply as she made her exit.

* * *

**Ok so, reviews are nice but also suggestions are good too**

**I'd like to remind people I'm experimenting with the way I write in this fanfic so writing endless lines of "you spelt this wrong" or "your sentences are getting too short again" in will NOT help me keep motivated for writing this story (not that a reminder isn't welcome but I would prefer ****plot suggestions****, they are like my bamboo)**

**Also the year in 1958. (this is more a reminder to myself than you)**

**Until next time, I'll try to stay a happy panda.**


	5. Chapter 5

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

"Mr. Booker shouldn't we answer it? Whoever it is doesn't want to go away"

"Get away from that door" booker hissed from more than a good 6 meters away

"But they seem nice" Hayle said innocently

"Booker, come on! I know you can hear me, your neighbours are getting **_angry_**!" the person on the other side of the door shouted out in French

"Mr. Booker" Hayle said wearily staring at the door from a good three strides away

"no." Booker snapped "he may sound nice but he's a deceiver, a devil. Ha Satan!" booker said firmly which cause Hayle to pale and make a run into the living room

"if you don't open in 3 seconds I will kick. This. _Fucking_. Door. Down" the person said in a very serious tone

"fuck you SLATE!" booker snapped switching to French before groaning, he had hoped to stake out in the house for at least another three days before he was dragged back into that weird thing he had to call a life however Cornelius Slate seemed to have different plans from him-again.

"oh, so nice of you to let me in so politely" Cornelius deadpanned as booker involuntarily kept his front door open for him, the man was his superior and would rather eat the rotting remains of his dead uncle than let booker skip work. "Seriously, you're always either avoiding work or doing too much of it"

"I know" booker said flatly "and it's not that I don't appreciate you coming here and—"

"What. Is. _That_?" Cornelius asked pointing at Hayle who had dived under the couch and had his small feet sticking out "booker did you kill someone?" the man asked jokingly before taking off Hayle's shoes and squeezing his feet

"Don't let the devil man get me!" Hayle cried out in English which seemed to escape Slate even though he-like booker-was American born. "please Mr. DeWitt!" his feet were now moving back and forth in an attempt to get free but Cornelius was easily able to stop them and continue squeezing the kids tiny feet which in turn cause Hayle to panic more and fight harder.

"Stop it Slate you're freaking him out" booker said going over and taking the kid out of his hiding spot, he then attempted to put Hayle down but the kid just wouldn't let go.

"he's so cute" Cornelius gushed shaking his head before taking something out of her pocket and waving it around Hayle's face so he'd take it "where did you get him?" the ex-soldier questioned. Booker had met Cornelius Slate briefly in his original timeline then again during the First Indochina War and never would have guessed that he was a sucker for cute things while he was in the battle field, but now it was a fact he was reminded of quite constantly

"I didn't get him, he was dropped off here by some friends...because my brother abused him and his wife didn't want him" _'lies booker, all lies' _it's all family business and they're trying to get it resolved but it seems like I'm going to be stuck with him quite permanently"

"Does he have a name?" Cornelius asked taking another set out of her pocket to replace the one Hayle had devoured

"Hayle DeWitt" booker said simply_ 'now you're going to have to remember that or he's going to get suspicious, damn it DeWitt, this man is like a hawk you should have made up something less dramatic so you don't have to fake emotions!'_

"he certainly looks like you" Cornelius smiled "except his hair seems more auburn and his eyes are amber also he seems to have some Jewish lineage in him...or middle eastern, I don't know" the man shrugged before putting Hayle down "either way guess this can warrant you some time off to get him enrolled in a school and whatever but you _NEED_ to stop avoiding work booker, you're a grown man and I can't babysit you forever"

_'That's because you won't live forever'_ booker thought bitterly _'but I will'_

"Oh! And there's that case with Chen Lin's kitchen boy who only trusts you, I need you to get down there and talk to him in case this escalates suddenly and he doesn't make it"

"I'll get onto it today, ok?" booker said running his fingers down his hair and putting down a squirming Hayle who now seemed comfortable enough in Cornelius' presence to cling to him.

"Good" Vivian said firmly before giving a mischievous grin and turning to Hayle "goodbye Hayle", she said in a deceptively kind voice before tossing him another sweet

"Au revoir Monsieur Slate!" Hayle said catching it and sparing no time in opening it.

"Crafty" was all booker could grumble under his breath before watching Hayle eat the sweet, he looked like a kid who had never had the privilege of confections and seemed to enjoy the wrapped treat more than any kid his age should or could.

"So are we going out Mr. DeWitt?" Hayle asked looking up at booker with curiosity

Booker only gave a tired sigh, he _HAD_ to get this case done but leaving this kid here alone was not an option considering it was eight o'clock at night, his age and clumsiness, there was also the factor that he probably had the same powers as Elizabeth and might open a rift and go through it which could lead to booker following suit.

"We'll leave after I've gotten ready" booker said looking at himself in the mirror "and we'll grab lunch at Chen Lin's place so don't suddenly raid my kitchen for food"

"Kitchen?" Hayle said slowly before pointing inquisitively at the kitchen island not too far from his position

"yea that's the kitchen" booker said slowly "don't. Go. In. There" he ordered before leaving to make himself presentable.

...oOo...

Chen Lin's place was no place for a child, it never had been and never would be but booker DeWitt had no choice in the matter and knew that he would have to leave Hayle up front by the Chinese man so at least then he wouldn't get kidnapped

"Mr. Lin's Chinese food?" Hayle said staring up at the neon sign above them that had characters written in Chinese. Booker looked down at the kid for a few moments

_'He must have picked up a book in the library and learned the language from it'_ the detective concluded remembering the extensive amount of books that graced Elizabeth's establishment when he basically kidnapped her from the tower

"it's cold" Hayle said shivering and looking up at booker before reaching up to take the grown man's hand, booker contemplated complying but instead strode forward

_'you get soft on the kid and he might actually start to think something about you letting him stay'_ booker thought as he waited for the kid to enter, Hayle eventually came trotting in with a pitiful face _'but if you're too mean he'll pull a face like that'_

"Mr. DeWitt, why are you here?" Chen Lin inquired "I thought you were hiding in your house again" the Chinese man added smugly

"You know Slate" booker said thinking back to his boss "where's' the kitchen boy?" booker asked looking around

"In the kitchen" the man stated pointing behind him, that was one thing booker liked about Chen Lin, he understood that he liked getting straight to the point and didn't stall. "make sure he tells you everything" Chen added as booker passed, another thing booker liked was that the man took the liberty of immersing himself in the French language and speaking it quite fluently despite only starting to learn it a mere three years ago

"I'm gonna leave that with you" booker stated pointing at Hayle who was standing awkwardly near the register "make sure he don't get lost or taken or something" the American ordered before making his way into the kitchen

Chen Lin stared at Hayle in confusion "that is yours?" he questioned but booker was already gone

"Hi" Hayle said tapping his fingers together "I'm Hayle DeWitt Mr. Chen Lin, Booker's nephew"

"I'm booker's best friend" Chen Lin said with a smile "he may be old and cranky but don't let that upset you, he'll warm up to you soon" Chen Lin assured

The statement didn't make Hayle smile though, there was no way that booker would suddenly warm up to him, he'd been there less than a day and they were already off to a very strange start

"do you want to play poker?" Chen Lin asked taking out a deck of cards and waving them around "how old are you?" he then asked staring Hayle up and down

"I am now six years old and one month!" Hayle said a little but too excitedly "and It wouldn't be fair if I played poker against you, I would win"

"Off to a cocky start" Chen Lin asked looking down at Hayle with now narrowed eyes

"It's true" Hayle goaded "I know all the ways to win so it won't be fair, I read a book on it"

"Six years old and already reading?" Chen said doubtfully before going around and helping Hayle onto the counter "you're just a kid, you don't need to pretend to be smart"

"I'm not pretending about anything!" Hayle protested "and I can say that you're too young to be running an independent business in a good part of France"

"my dad gave me this business, and he worked hard to set it up" Chen stated "I wanted to be an engineer but I owe it to him to run this place"

Hayle grabbed the cards of the counter and started to shuffle them

"if I win can I have your toolbox?" Hayle questioned looking behind the counter at a box he was sure was filled with tools, Chen also looked back at it before sighing

"sure kid, if you win you can have it" he smiled.

...oOo...

"For the love of god!" booker exclaimed as the kitchen boy he was meant to be interviewing ran off "I'm just trying to fucking help you!" he shouted running out of the kitchen and only to see the boy run outside and leave

"I'm assuming that went well," Chen Lin said in a disheartened tone as Hayle rummaged through a green box

"he didn't tell me anything he just ran off" booker sighed taking a seat at the bar which was adjacent to the main desk "I guess I'll just have to keep coming back until I can get him to talk again"

"good, I want a chance to win my toolbox back from this deceptive little runt" Chen Lin said glaring at Hayle who took no notice and kept rummaging through the toolbox "little cheat"

"I told you I knew every possible way in which to win" Hayle said looking up "but you said I was lying and dismissed me"

"Kids your age aren't meant to be able to use words like dismissed and know what the term independent business means, they should be going to school to learn 5 lettered words and how to interact with other kids!" Chen said angrily before spitting something in Mandarin

"I've never been to school before mother wouldn't let me go!" Hayle said quite bitterly "and it's not that hard to read a book and remember what's written in it"

"chi!" Chen spat "take him away booker, it's 1AM in the morning and I'm too tired for this crap!" the Chinese man pointed at the door angrily and booker picked up Hayle before quickly making an exit

"He doesn't like losing" Hayle said almost defensively as he held Chen Lin's tool box close to himself "or admitting that he wants to do something for himself"

Booker unlocked his car before making Hayle get in the passenger seat and helping him put his seatbelt on "he was right though" booker said slowly "if your stay is permanent then I should get you enrolled at a school or something"

"I...I can go to school?" Hayle asked looking up with shining eyes as if booker was some sort of angel handing him a gift from god

"I guess, but I'll have to get you sorted first, you can't just show up in the government system with no explanation" booker sighed before starting the car "and you're going to have to start having a bed time or something so you're not up at absurd hours doing...whatever you plan on doing with that"

"I want to build a fort in the park across the street" Hayle said excitedly

"Right" booker nodded slowly before starting to drive

* * *

**...oOo...**

"Maybe we should do something about this brother" Rosalind said

"The bird or booker and Hayle?" Robert questioned running around and trying to keep the rift closed

"both" Rosalind said from her seat across the room "I feel that if we don't act upon their situation things may be hard for booker and he may start to seek us out which may in turn lead to the bird successfully getting through as we try to keep two rifts closed"

"Indeed" her brother said smashing the emergency shutdown button which turned everything else off too "but what are we meant to do about both?"

"Well we could help booker on his first few steps into parenthood and maybe do something about that one bedroom apartment of his"

"And about the bird?" Robert asked before giving a sigh of relief as the rift didn't open

"We trap it or something" Rosalind shrugged

"When we turn on our equipment it see's us" Robert said spinning to face his sister "and you culd have helped or something"

"I don't help" Rosalind said, "I plan"

"Right" Robert said rolling his eyes and starting to head upstairs "while you plan I'm going to go have a cup of coffee, this day has been too strenuous for me"

"bring me back a cappuccino brother" Rosalind said standing and going to see which parts of equipment they had broken in their attempt to keep the bird away, it had locked onto their signature and was now coming for them while holding the belief that they still had the child directly on them "how troublesome" Rosalind mumbled shaking her head.

* * *

**ok, so i've been writing A LOT for this story and i really do like where it is going so even if i don't get that many reviews or whatever for it i plan on continuing it because it's the first completely clean story i've written (clean as in completely free of any non-platonic relationship between characters which may turn sexual)**


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